The court heard that 33 articles in the News of the World were the product of hacking into her family's voicemails when Church was a teenager.

The singer said afterwards she had been "sickened and disgusted" at what she called the industrial scale of the paper's illegal activities.

Ms Church’s phone had been hacked in 2002 and journalists also placed her under surveillance and gained access to her medical records.

The court was told her mother had been coerced into an interview with the paper after reporters gained information from hacked voicemails about her medical history.

Ms Church, who gave evidence to the ongoing Leveson inquiry into British press conduct last November, was one of several high-profile figures who have launched legal action against the British arm of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

Deals in 15 cases were agreed earlier this month while a further 37 claims were settled in January, with payouts ranging from about €50,000 to €160,000.